Grant County Library’s Race To Preserve Local History

Within the quiet archives of the Grant County Library sits the story of Grant County.

It’s not stored on a bookshelf you can casually flip through. It’s not searchable with a few keystrokes. Instead, it lives on aging newsprint and tightly wound reels of microfilm — decades of births, weddings, droughts, championships, debates, tragedies and triumphs — preserved, but increasingly difficult to access.

For years, the library has worked to compile and safeguard bound volumes of local newspapers, along with microfilm copies dating back to the earliest days of Grant County. Physical copies can also be found at the museum, at The Ulysses News office, and possibly within the archives of the Kansas State Historical Society. But one of the most complete collections rests quietly in storage at the library.

And time is catching up with it.

When Preservation Becomes Fragile

The bound volumes — thick, heavy books filled with yellowing pages — are now too fragile for regular use. Paper that once carried daily headlines has grown brittle. Bindings loosen. Edges crumble with handling.

When researchers look for an obituary from 1948, a city ordinance from 1972, or a long-forgotten business advertisement, staff must weigh the value of access against the risk of damage.

The solution, decades ago, was microfilm.

In 1935, Eastman Kodak Company introduced microfilm as a revolutionary preservation tool. By embedding images onto 35mm film using silver crystals, entire newspapers could be compressed — 500 to 800 editions onto a single 100-foot roll. Libraries across the country embraced it. Newspapers, court records, books and photographs were preserved in compact, durable form.

Microfilm saved history.

But technology moved on.

The Machines Are

Fading

Today, while the film itself remains intact, the equipment required to view it is becoming obsolete. Grant County Library’s two microfilm readers are no longer serviceable. Across the county, alternative machines are scarce or nonexistent.

Without functioning readers, the community’s preserved history becomes effectively locked away — present, but inaccessible.

It’s the modern irony: the solution that once preserved history is now the barrier to accessing it.

The Next Chapter:

Digitization

The library has begun exploring grant opportunities and private donations to digitize the microfilm collection. Digitization would allow pages to be scanned, preserved in high resolution, and made searchable for researchers, students, genealogists and community members.

The challenge is cost.

Many companies charge steep fees to digitize large microfilm archives. Beyond scanning, there are ongoing costs to host and store the digital files securely.

One potential option currently under review would allow the library to send rolls in small batches — a handful at a time — at an estimated cost of approximately $200 per roll. While more manageable, the approach would still require sustained funding and patience as the project unfolds over time.

More Than Headlines

Newspapers are more than ink on paper. They are the first draft of a community’s memory.

They record who we were, what we valued, how we responded to hardship, and how we celebrated success. They tell future generations what mattered on ordinary Tuesdays and extraordinary days alike.

Without preservation, those moments risk being reduced to paper breaking down and inaccessible film.

For the Grant County Library, the effort underway is not simply about storage — it’s about stewardship.

Ensuring that decades from now, someone searching for a family name, a historic decision, or a snapshot of life in Grant County will still be able to find it.

The reels are ready. The stories are waiting.

Now, the next step is ensuring they can still be read well into the future.

Newspapers Attributed to Grant County held on various sources Microfilm

Appomattox Advocate 1888

Appomattox Commercial 1888 Cincinnati Commercial 1887

Conductor Punch 1887-1888

Daily Register (Ulysses) 1888

Enfield Tribune 1887 (Became The Ulysses Tribune)

Golden Gazette 1887-1889

Grant County New Era 1930-1933

Grant County Register 1885-1890 (Merged with the Tribune)

Grant County Republican 1892-1937 (Became The Ulysses News)

Lawson Leader 1887-1888

Shockeyville Eagle 1886-1887

Shockeyville Independent 1887-1888

Shockeyville Plainsman 1889 (Became Ulysses Plainsman)

The Standard 1887-1888

Surprise Post 1886-1887

The Grant County Gazette 2005-2009

Ulysses Tribune-Commercial 1888-1889

Ulysses News 1937-2020s

The Irrigator 1968-1980

Ulysses Plainsman 1889-1890

Ulysses Tribune 1887-1893

Ulysses Tribune & Grant County Register 1890

Zionville Boomer 1887

Zionville Sentinel 1887-1888